In Spanish, Oriente means "to the east".
Mirador Oriente and Nueva Oriental are two conecting communities on the same mountain. The first time I was on this mountain was 4 years ago and it was a new settlement of "squatter homes". My first visit to this mountain was emotional because it was definately the poorest place that I had ever personally visited. I was at a loss for words and my tears gave away my feelings.
A lot has changed on the mountain in the last 4 years. There is a feeding center where over 200 kids get a hot meal 5 days a week. Our groups were blessed to build 4 classrooms for grades 1-6. This year a kindergarten was added. There are tons of new Christians in the communities and last year a meeting place and Sunday School classes were built (both are full every Sunday). Just this year, electricity was brought to the mountain and now people can have a light or two in their meager houses.
Some things haven't changed in the past 4 years. There are probably more "bad" houses on the mountain now than there were four years ago. More people have moved to the mountain without enough resources to build a decent house. People are still hungry. It is still one of the poorest places that I know of. Water is a problem - because there isn't a steady supply. Sanitation is a problem.
Some of this is about to change!
In mid-April we plan to start construction on Centre de Mujeres y Familias. This center will be the start of changed lives. It will be a two story - block and concrete construction - facility that will have showers and restrooms on the bottom floor and a center for women on the top floor. The top floor will be used for teaching skills and for Bible studies. It will also include a sewing center where women can learn to sew and use the machines for their families.
There is also a plan to help supply water to the community through a "well project" - additionally, there is another project under development to add a purification system to the water supplied by the well.
All of this has come together in just the past few months. Our God has revealed His plan and we are blessed to be a part of it.
I plan to keep this BLOG updated as we progress through the work in Oriente. I will include pictures and will be happy to respond to any questions. Feel free to come on down to get your hands dirty.
Be a blessing to somebody today!
Marc Tindall
